Chefany

Thursday, May 13, 2010

The CAKE SHOPPE! Coming soon!

It is really happening! I am opening a business downtown Santa Cruz called the Wedding Stop and Cake Shoppe! It will be a full service business for couples needing resources and services for their special day! I am going into this venture with two dear friends and colleagues. Marty Ryhanych of New View Photography and Andrea Mollenauer of Lifestyle Culinary Arts catering and wedding co-ordinating. I will have Chefany's cakes at the Cake Shoppe and we will have many other referrals to offer the happy couple. We are promoting local businesses and offering discounts to couples who choose more than three of our services. I am also going to start something kind of new, around here anyway...
CAKE RENTALS! Funny, I know... this is how it works; A couple doesn't have a budget for a large custom decorated wedding cake but wants to have one to show on display... I have pre-made "fake" cakes that I rent to the couple and then I add one real layer to it and have the rest in the kitchen for service. This should cut the cost of a fancy cake by half and allow the couple a beautiful cake to display. The guests will never know because after the first slice is cut by the couple the caterers come and whisk it away to the kitchen for cutting and service. Out comes the cut up cake and no one is the wiser!
OF COURSE, I will provide the best tasting cake made with organic flour and the freshest ingredients and will make the cake of the couples dreams if they can afford the cost of a real cake. But I thought so many today are on a strict budget and I want to offer services that can help them make their day beautiful and affordable too!
I am also taking orders for special occasion cakes and custom themed cakes too! I will not have cakes for sale only special orders but am hoping to get into making more of the sculpted and custom style cakes like my Ratatouille cake! I will have a minimum because with all this, I am not quitting my day job! I love teaching too much to give it up so I am doing this with help and mostly weekend orders. So I will not be making small birthday cakes, for that we have several fabulous bakeries in the area that have them offered fresh daily.
So tell me please... have I lost my ever loving mind or what??? I think this will fulfill my creative urges not met in the classroom. I think watching all those cake competition shows got to me too! Not that I want to compete but I just love putting together unique cakes that people love to eat!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Love the Cake Rental idea!!!!
Best of Luck!!

Anonymous said...

Great ideas! I wish you the best of luck! xox Keri

Alison said...

I wish you luck with this! Your cakes are beautiful! I do small cakes on the side by order only, but could never do wedding cakes again like I did and work full-time. Of course I have 3 kids at home, too, so that made it tough! I love your rental idea. I have recommended fake wedding cakes with only one real layer to many customers since I could do that way ahead of time!

My Crazy Family said...

The cake rental is a wonderful idea.

Anonymous said...

Chef Stef! You sound so excited!
Sounds like a wonderful idea, especially the fake cake rentals. I hope you get some awesome cake requests to keep your creativity flowing.

-Victoria